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NCAAF Picks

College Football Picks: Alabama vs. Auburn

The Crimson tide are looking to make it back to the National Championship. With Auburn standing in their way this week looking to join the title race. We'll take a look at the college football odds and make sure you get the most value out of your college football picks.

The 2013 SEC Championship Game won't officially take place
until Dec. 7 when the winners of the East and West Divisions collide in Atlanta. You might not know that if you've been
listening to the hype surrounding this Saturday's clash between the Alabama
Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers, which has taken on an SEC Championship hysteria
of its own.

There is certainly reason for the hype and media attention
in this year's contest between the Tigers and Tide; then again, this game is
always a big deal whether conference or national title hopes are on the
line. The 78th Iron Bowl will decide at
least one participant in the SEC title tilt, but I'm not buying into all of the
talk about national title implications in the matchup.

Saturday's kickoff in Auburn
is on CBS a little past 3:30 PM (ET), and it's no surprise to see the No. 1
Crimson Tide laying double digits on the road, even to the No. 4 Tigers. The opening spread on SBR's live college
football odds was Alabama -10 before early action sent it up to -10.5, a few
-11's also on the board in the first 48 hours of trading.

Scoreboard bettors are making a decision on a 54.5 point
total that sportsbooks are listing, that figure stagnant during initial wagering.

Count me among those who believes the Crimson Tide are
already damn near a lock for the national title game, even if they lose this
week or in the SEC Championship seven days later. About the only way Alabama
won't be playing for the glass ball
next January is if Florida State and Ohio
State both win out, and I
expect one of them to eventually cough up a perfect record.

Alabama
(11-0 straight up, 7-4 against the spread) may not wow anyone with offensive
stats, but AJ McCarron still directs a very deadly attack. The Tide should also have top tailback TJ
Yeldon back after the sophomore sat out last week's scrimmage vs. Chattanooga.

Auburn
(10-1 SU, 9-2 ATS) has been nothing short of amazing, and if Gus Malzahn's name
hasn't already being inscribed on the Coach of the Year Trophy, it's an
injustice. The Tigers have certainly
needed several lucky bounces to go their way, like at the end of last week's
43-38 win over Georgia,
but they have certainly earned their climb to fourth in the BCS Standings after
beginning the season not getting a single vote in the AP or coaches polls.

The Tigers obviously need a win to remain in either the
conference or national title races, and pressure will be on Nick Marshall to
keep the offense moving against the Tide defense. Marshall and his talented trio of running
backs -- Tre Mason, Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant -- are working behind a
very good offensive line all year, but facing the Alabama front seven will be a different animal.

Series History,
Mother Nature & Final Thoughts

History leans to 'Bama in this series by a 42-34-1 margin,
and the Crimson Tide have emerged as victors in four of the last five. But Auburn
did win six straight before then, and bettors holding tickets on the Tigers have
cashed five of the last eight.

Weather is not expected to cause any trouble for this huge
showdown. It goes without saying to get
the latest forecast before making a wager, but the weatherman is currently
calling for afternoon highs in the mid-to-upper 50s and no chance of rain under
mostly sunny skies.

A lot of the early focus, including by myself, for this game
has been about when Auburn
had the ball. Alabama couldn't stop Texas A&M from
scoring, and though the Tigers' offense isn't exactly the same, why can't they
score 35 or 40 points? The flip side is
that Auburn's defense, while not nearly as bad as the Aggies' unit, hasn't
consistently stonewalled opposing units, and I like McCarron & Company to
move up and down the field.

Alabama and Auburn each have some
pretty good return men, Chrisiton Jones and Chris Davis, and special teams play
is where the Tide should have an advantage. I'm tempted to take the points and Auburn,
possibly a late cover to just get inside the number. Instead, my free college football pick will
be on the 'over' as 'Bama rolls to a 34-28 victory.